Actually last year, I took out the dead plants, took out the third to half of soil I take out (except for clay pots - I empty them completely and turn them upside down) and used the soil to supplement the winter mulch. I'll work it in this spring. There's a lot of 'fluff' (perlite and peat usually) in container soils so it should work well as a soil amendment to clay soil.

I move my plants about in my greenhouse and the pots I have are large and very heavy. so I discovered styrofoam blocks. I use the styrofoam that you find inside parcels and wrapped around electronic stuff you buy. Its light, and it takes up space and works for drainage, and what better way to recycle it, since it doesnt break down in land fills. It will make you pots light and work just like rocks as far as I can tell.

By the way I have a 10 x 30 greenhouse attached to my garage and I use large rubbermaid containers with holes drilled in the bottom for my planters. I also dump out the soil, or at least the top half, and add compost to it.

A lot of my old container soil gets spread on the lawn or flowerbeds as I have clay soil. When I used to compost, it would get layered in the compost with kitchen waste and manure. No room or enough sun here for a composter and I miss it. I have used compost mixed in with old container soil and it worked well in planters.

Last year's pot soil goes into the garden beds, mixed with compost, and gets used the year after this one back into the pots...here.

DayLily, here only the very top inch freezes in the winter. My biggest problem is all of the rains we get autumn, winter, and spring...it depletes the finest of soils...this is why I add sheep-shhh fall and spring...and still feed plants Miracle Gro or 20 20 20.

Franky...eggplants in containers? THANK YOU! I will go container-mad again this year!

Balcony people had better watch the weight-bearing thingie for balconies if they have a lot of pots, kept well-watered. It's not just snow-packed roofs that are dangerous!

Ocean, they used to say about me if I got a speck of dirt in my eye, I would plant something in it...now "they" roll around in the dirt (sorry JohnV - I mean "tilth") laughing at some of the stuff that happens to me/the things I say. but they laugh kindly, bless their hides! always a helper out there.